


Any Good Left in Me

by Eli (AisukuriMuStudio)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Game(s), Shepherd Rose, Spoilers, Tainted AU (Tales of Zestiria), Tainted Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 20:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12306675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AisukuriMuStudio/pseuds/Eli
Summary: Alisha has come to save her.Rated for language.





	Any Good Left in Me

**Author's Note:**

> For the lovely anon who suggested this idea on our tumblr account. Love you! ❤

Rose stands at the edge of the precipice, her back turned. She bears the Shepherd’s garb, but the cloak is no longer pristine white; it is tattered, stained with blood, and Alisha can feel the malevolence emitting from her in waves. Waves of mourning and undressed wounds, waves of pain and unburied corpses. It has been ages since Alisha last saw her; too long. She’s let her pain fester, but now she’s here to treat it.

“Rose,” Alisha whispers in greeting. She is half-afraid and half-determined.

Is it too late to treat it? Even an infected wound can heal, but sometimes you need to cut off a limb to prevent it from spreading. Is it no longer isolated?

“Alisha,” Rose replies, and Alisha feels her heart jump, hope soaring. She takes a step toward her, but Rose holds out an arm, and Alisha stops, faltering. Rose still doesn’t turn. “You shouldn’t have come here,” Rose says, and in the same breath, Alisha’s heart plummets.

“Of course I should have!” Alisha insists, shaking her head, even though Rose can’t see it. “Rose, I should have been here _years_ ago!”

“It’s too late for me,” Rose says. “After everything I’ve done and all the suffering I’ve caused—”

“No.” Alisha takes another step forward. Rose’s hand drops, and Alisha can’t tell if it’s in defeat or denial. “Rose, listen to me, _please_ . I won’t deny that you’ve caused a lot of people pain, but surely you know that you can make _up_ for this! You can—”

“Ten years ago, I would’ve killed someone like me.” Rose is staring off the cliff, and Alisha knows why Rose chose this place. “If I had any good left in me, I would’ve done it by now.”

 _“Please,”_ Alisha begs. She takes another step, and Rose doesn’t respond. “Rose. We can fix this together. What would Sorey want you to do?”

“Sorey is as good as _dead_ ,” Rose snaps, her hands clenching at her sides. “So it doesn’t _matter_ what he’d want! He’s not here to _voice_ his fucking opinion!”

“Rose,” Alisha whispers. Rose bows her head at the call of her name, and Alisha barrels on; she doesn’t know what will help, all she knows is that she has to speak the truth. “Sorey may not be here to speak for himself, but he isn’t dead. He is doing good for the world right now, and he’s doing good for _you_ , too. He wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

Rose shrugs. “Good thing he can’t see me, then.”

Alisha watches this woman she once called her lover, and her heart aches. “But I can,” she says. Rose’s head jerks up; for the first time, their eyes meet. Alisha is only a few feet away from her now. Though she hurts with every breath, she reaches out her hand and offers it to her. “Please, Rose. Let me help you.”

The moment is tense and quiet. Rose’s eyes drop from Alisha’s down to the hand that’s been extended. And after one long moment of silence, Rose can’t help but laugh. It’s been years since Alisha’s heard that sound, and it makes her heart pick up, in awe and wonder. “Fuck,” Rose whispers. “Alisha, you’re an idiot.”

And then she takes her hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I have not played the DLC so apologies if this contradicts it. Also, I am physically incapable of writing an unhappy ending, so apologies if that's what you were expecting! I hope you enjoyed this Tainted AU anyway. ❤


End file.
